My Healer Academia (Bakugo x OC x Todoroki)

[S2] Climax

               "I know I said we were going to be tied at the hip if I win," Ai stammered, "b-but I didn't mean literally." Her arms were trapped by her sides as they flew high above Kyushu, scanning the island for any potential threats. Hawks had his own arms wrapped around her lower torso, carrying her along for surveillance. It was the third day of the internship, and Ai hadn't done much ever since she wrecked the top office floor. Today was going to change that.

               "You want to be a great hero, right?" Ai could barely hear Hawks over the harsh wind that hit against her face, but she managed a nod at his question. Soon, they were flying vertically instead of forward, and the height made her dizzy. Her hands shot up and gripped onto Hawks' forearms, which seemed to be loosening by the second. "Before you can save others, you need to be able to save yourself first. Your quirk is great at being adaptive: healing, strength, growth and even decay once you're able to control it. Consider this another adaptability test in a different environment."

               "Wait, Hawks-AHHHHH!!!"

               The hero smiled as he fully released her, placing a hand against the side of his mouth to yell down at a girl who obviously wasn't listening. "Don't die!"

               When falling, humans can drop as fast as 120 miles per hour. The first one thousand feet descent takes ten seconds, with every thousand feet thereafter being five seconds each. Hawks had dropped Ai from 20,000 feet above sea level, and within the next two minutes, she was going to paint the cement with her blood.

               It took every ounce of Ai's strength to get her shaky hands to grip around the collar of her costume, slipping her hood off midair as she held on for dear life. After she activated her quirk, the cape expanded significantly, acting as a makeshift parachute that ricocheted back up into the sky. Ai was hyperventilating at this point, the strong winds pushing roughly against her body as her increased nerves made her palms sweaty. If you let go, you die, she thought. If you let go, you die, if you let go, you die, if you let go- Her fingers were slipping.

               The descent had slowed tremendously, but as soon as one of her hands gave out, it was game over. Ai could only watch helplessly as her only source of safety was gone. I'm going... to die. When the thought hit her, the remaining grip she had on the cape turned it gray. She let out a ragged breath as the ash slipped through the rest of her fingers and disappeared in the air. She felt the familiar feeling of a downwards spiral once again, only to be embraced by a warmth and the color red seconds later.

               Hawks wrapped an arm around her lower back and his other hand against the back of her head as he slowly landed down on a grassy clearing away from the cities. He came down on his knees and sat back against his heels, resting the girl onto his lap as he held her tightly against his chest. Her trembling shoulders and the dampness of his shirt from her tears only enhanced his guilt.

               When Ai pulled away, she sniffled with an inexplicable smile on her face. "It's weird." Her eyes were directed at Hawks' shirt rather than his face. "In that last moment, I knew you were going to catch me, but I still thought I was going to..." Her gaze dropped to her hands in her lap as her fingers scratched away at one another. "You wanted to ask me about the USJ incident, right?" The tears continued to silently cascade down her cheeks. "Every time I feel like I'm getting better, it just comes back to me. You were right. If I can't save myself, how am I going to save others? How am I-"

               Hawks' hand wrapped around Ai's shoulder and pressed her back against him. His other arm reached underneath her legs as he stood up, carrying her while simultaneously opening his wings. "Let's go back to the agency."